re: Which consensus 1st rounder is going to slide on Thursday?

You can't slip down if you weren't ever up

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"Fine" is great if they're drafted in the 4th round

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Mark Barron - has played great and was named by ESPN as the best Safety in the NFC South. Will only get better as he gains experience.

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In the eyes of the coaching staff and front office, strong safety Mark Barron really blossomed in his second season.

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Dre Kirkpatrick - Unofortunate injury that sidelined him in his rookie year and nagged as him at the beginning of last year. When he finally came back fully healthy at the end of last year.

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When you are drafted 17th overall to an already stellar defense, the expectations become extremely high, but Kirkpatrick’s rookie season was hampered by knee issues two seasons ago. Late in 2013, Kirkpatrick’s game elevated when the time was right causing turnovers against the San Diego Chargers, and against the Baltimore Ravens towards the end of last season. Joe Flacco tried to sneak a nice throw past Kirkpatrick, but it ended up in the end zone as Kirkpatrick took it to the house for his first ever pick-six.

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Dee Milliner - Struggled early, but who could expect a rookie to replace Darrelle Revis with no drop off? After gaining some experience in Rex Ryan's defense, Milliner came on strong late, winning Rookie of the Month honors in the last month of the season.

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Ultimately, the former Alabama cornerback put it together in the final month of the season and heads into his second year with plenty of positivity.

Milliner intercepted three passes in his final two games -- tying for the most of anyone in the NFL during December -- and won Defensive Rookie of the Month. In his final game of 2013, he picked off two passes and made four tackles to earn AFC defensive player of the week.

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Kareem Jackson - Has been a solid starter for the Texans since being drafted.

Javier Arenas - After playing for the Chiefs nickel package and being one of the best PR/KRs in the league, hoping to find new life with the Falcons this season.

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Mark Barron - has played great and was named by ESPN as the best Safety in the NFC South. Will only get better as he gains experience.

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Barron? Best safety in the NFC South??

Byrd? Kenny V? Goldson? Barron is a very talented player but to say he's the best safety in that division is absurd. I know he has a different playing style that Byrd and Kenny, but Goldson as well?

To say Bama has a DB Curse, is kind of crazy.

It's not their DBs, it's mainly defense overall.

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“In terms of the Alabama players, is it a trend? Is it one or two, no, it’s more than that,” he explained before specifically mentioning cornerback Kareem Jackson, Barron again, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, linebacker Rolando McClain and Terrence Cody.

"There is a concern about that, and it's probably because they're coached up so well. They're in a great system. They all complement each other. They come into the league thinking they're pretty much as coached as they can be ... and basically they've hit their ceiling. They're as good as they're going to get. There's not that upside that you see with all the other guys. Maybe that's a factor.

“But it is something that you have to look at because there's been a number, a host of players out of that Alabama defense, over the years that have come out as high draft choices and, frankly, have been major disappointments."

At this point, there’s no denying that McClain, who was the eighth selection in the 2010 draft, was a great college player but an NFL bust as he recently retired a second time, and in terms of draft value Kiper may have an argument. Was Jackson worthy of being the 20th pick in 2010? Probably not.

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Players who could step in and potentially contribute immediately were highly coveted, with four Crimson Tide players selected in the first round.

It also wasn’t too long ago that former Crimson Tide offensive tackle Andre Smith was being called a draft bust. Last year he got a new three-year, $18 million contract from Cincinnati.

Targeting Alabama just before the draft isn’t anything new. Go back to a year ago, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter questioned the durability of Alabama players in general, suggesting that they were too beat up and had too many surgeries. The other vocal “concern” was specific to the running backs, as neither Mark Ingram Jr. nor Trent Richardson had lit up the NFL as hoped.

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But to be fair,

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Meanwhile, with former linebacker Jerrell Harris recently signing with the Denver Broncos and cornerback DeQuan Menzie with the Detroit Lions, every starter on the national championship 2011 defense, which led the nation in every major category, is under contract with an NFL team.

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Barron? Best safety in the NFC South??

Byrd? Kenny V? Goldson? Barron is a very talented player but to say he's the best safety in that division is absurd. I know he has a different playing style that Byrd and Kenny, but Goldson as well?

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Neither Byrd nor Goldson were in the NFC South last season so I'm not sure how that works.. As for Vaccaro:

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I don’t have many arguments with the list. The two Saints I would add are safety Kenny Vaccaro and guard Ben Grubbs, but I understand why it was a close call with both players. I think the safety position was the hardest to judge by far, with four candidates in a virtual deadlock for two spots (Vaccaro, Tampa Bay’s Mark Barron, Carolina’s Mike Mitchell and Atlanta’s William Moore).

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Bridgewater could slide but I don't think it will be outside of the first round.

I wouldn't say he sucks, rather just inconsistent

Please link me these predictions

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Desmond Trufant isn't a success?

He was on every all rookie team, set the Falcons rookie record for passes defended; and he was named defensive rookie of the year by PFF and also was named by them the 7th best corner in the entire NFL after just one season

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Missed him! Thanks for correcting.

That and he has one playoff win in 8 years. I realize the team is much more than just the QB, but 1 win. And he's 34, he's not going to get better.